Raffensperger Claims Georgia’s Voter Rolls Are ‘Cleanest’ In The Country. Here’s Why That’s Bunk

Raffensperger's office claims to be doing everything federal law will let them -- but why haven't they investigated spurious votes from 2020?

Lawsuit Uncovers How Raffensperger Tried To Memory-Hole The Election Law Trump’s Georgia Call Was About

Raffensperger's general counsel sent Factcheck.org a 'legal analysis' that attempted to discredit my analysis of the voter data.

Georgia bars election offices from pocketing 'Zuckerbucks' and other private outsider funds



Georgia Republicans have taken another meaningful step toward ensuring that outside forces cannot financially meddle in their state elections.

Gov. Brian Kemp ratified state Sen. Max Burns' (R) Senate Bill 222 on Wednesday, ensuring that "all costs and expenses relating to election administration are paid for with lawfully appropriate public funds."

As of July 1, local governments in the state will be prohibited from accepting any funding for elections from outside groups. Government officials or election workers found in violation could face felony charges.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, clamping down on financial interference from out of state became a priority for Republicans in Georgia and further afield after the Center for Tech and Civic Life, an outfit founded by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, poured over $400 million into election offices nationwide in 2020.

$45 million of this cash — or what some Republicans call "Zuckerbucks" — went to local election offices in Georgia.

Some of this money allegedly went toward acquiring equipment to process mail ballots, voter outreach, and hiring staff.

Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) noted in late 2021 that 90% of the so-called Zuckerbucks went to blue counties.

"CTCL funneled Mark Zuckerberg's private wealth to Democratic-leaning counties to drive up turnout there, while underinvesting in counties likely to break for Trump," wrote Tenney.

\u201cThis side-by-side comparison shows the dramatic difference in how CTCL funneled Mark Zuckerberg's private wealth to Democratic-leaning counties to drive up turnout there, while underinvesting in counties likely to break for Trump.\u201d
— Rep. Claudia Tenney (@Rep. Claudia Tenney) 1640015423

Zuckerbucks and other strategically invested outsider election funds have not just been a problem for Georgia, which explains why 24 other states have similarly advanced solutions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

"Currently, over one-third of the states have passed laws prohibiting or limiting the use of private funds in elections. Eleven states did so in 2021 (similar bills were vetoed in Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that year), and 13 states followed suit in 2022," reported the NCSL.

"The specifics vary, with some states passing outright bans on election officials accepting or using philanthropic funds and others setting new regulations on how and when such funding can be accepted," the NCSL added.

Former Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, founder of the voter registration organization Greater Georgia, indicated that the bill signed into law by Kemp this week "builds on previous law to ensure that our election operations are never bought and paid for by partisan or special interests."

Loeffler was referencing Georgia's Senate Bill 202, passed in 2021, which barred election officials from accepting outside grants and funding from private organizations.

The Associated Press indicated that despite SB 202, it was previously "widely understood" that individual counties could still accept money from outside groups and funnel those funds over to election administrators.

For instance, in early 2023, the overwhelmingly blue DeKalb County picked up $2 million from the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence, which includes Zuckerberg's go-to funding outfit from 2020.

Senate Bill 222 puts such misunderstandings to bed.

"We should not be seeing partisan outside interests funneling money into counties for one party or another," state Rep. Houston Gaines (R) said in March, when the SB 222 cleared the House. "It’s common sense to make sure we’re banning outside money in our public elections."

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GOP-led Georgia Election Board takes first step in potential takeover of Fulton County elections



The Republican-controlled Georgia State Election Board has taken a pivotal first step in a process that aims to bolster election security in Fulton County, a heavily Democratic county long perceived to be vulnerable to fraudulent activity.

What are the details?

Using new power granted to it by Georgia's new voting law, the board appointed a bipartisan panel Wednesday to probe Fulton County's elections management, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The outlet added that the investigation is "a performance review that could lead to a state takeover of the heavily Democratic county."

Fulton County, which according to the outlet "has a history of problems with long lines, slow results and administrative errors," was the subject of several allegations of fraud during the 2020 presidential election. Though state and local officials have said repeatedly that there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the election.

In May, following repeated allegations, a Georgia judge agreed to unseal nearly 150,000 absentee ballots in the county for examination. That audit is separate from the one being conducted by the state election board.

In the forthcoming panel probe, however, investigators will similarly inspect vote counting and absentee ballot processing in the county and seek to ensure that local officials have been acting in compliance with state election rules.

According to Forbes, should they discover that local officials committed three or more violations since 2018, or that they otherwise engaged in acts of "nonfeasance, malfeasance, or gross negligence," a state administrator could be appointed to oversee future elections.

What else?

Republicans in the state have heralded the move as a way to combat fraud and mismanagement in Fulton County, while Democrats have derided the probe as a hostile attempt to take over a Democratic county's elections.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) has backed the probe, noting that the county has been "failing" at elections for decades but now a mechanism exists to do something about it. Last month, Raffensperger also called for the firing of two Fulton County election officials.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has also thrown his support behind it.

"Fulton County has a long history of mismanagement, incompetence and a lack of transparency when it comes to running elections, including during the 2020 election," Kemp spokesman Cody Hall told the Journal-Constitution. "The State Election Board now has the ability to hold chronically underperforming counties accountable."

Democratic Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts, on the other hand, slammed the probe as "a cynical ploy to undermine faith in our elections process and democracy itself."

"It is shameful partisan politics at its worst," he added.

Washington Post blasted after admitting Trump never said 'find the fraud' to Georgia elections investigator as it reported in bombshell story



The Washington Post is getting hammered on social media over its recent correction admitting that former President Donald Trump never urged a Georgia elections investigator to "find the fraud" in a phone call over general election ballot impropriety allegations in the state.

What are the details?

The Post placed the following correction above its story, originally published in early January:

Correction: Two months after publication of this story, the Georgia secretary of state released an audio recording of President Donald Trump's December phone call with the state's top elections investigator. The recording revealed that The Post misquoted Trump's comments on the call, based on information provided by a source. Trump did not tell the investigator to "find the fraud" or say she would be "a national hero" if she did so. Instead, Trump urged the investigator to scrutinize ballots in Fulton County, Ga., asserting she would find "dishonesty" there. He also told her that she had "the most important job in the country right now." A story about the recording can be found here. The headline and text of this story have been corrected to remove quotes misattributed to Trump.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week on audio of the Dec. 23 call between Trump and investigator Frances Watson, noting that the Post reported on the call in January but that this was the first time the recording had been released.

The Post, in its story about the recording, said Georgia officials indicated they didn't believe a recording existed. But the Post said officials found the recording on a trash folder on Watson's device while responding to a public records request — and that tidbit came courtesy of "a person familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the internal process."

The whip comes down

Alex Thompson, Politico's White House reporter, characterized the Post's errors as "real bad" and noted that "this quote was and still is everywhere":

real bad. this quote was and still is everywhere. https://t.co/jZwQ9rPwRp
— Alex Thompson (@Alex Thompson)1615828592.0

Thompson added that CNN issued "a sorta vague 'editor's note.' The Wapo correction was much more comprehensive":

CNN issues a sorta vague "editor's note." The Wapo correction was much more comprehensive. https://t.co/XshPapFF3G https://t.co/kSRqHE4sLQ
— Alex Thompson (@Alex Thompson)1615833545.0

The Daily Beast acknowledged that the Post "quietly" corrected its story, while a number of other media watchers were taken aback — to put it mildly — by the Post getting such crucial details wrong:

🚨 So basically a "source" made up a bunch of Trump quotes, WaPo ran with it, and now they're issuing a correction *… https://t.co/04f40w79id
— Caleb Hull (@Caleb Hull)1615830267.0
The media told us that Trump pressured a Georgian election official to "find the fraud." Nope! Anonymous sources st… https://t.co/FNkUq25tnF
— Robby Soave (@Robby Soave)1615836586.0
GIANT correction. Those quotes were everywhere."The recording revealed that The Post misquoted Trump’s comments o… https://t.co/P5rxRVIorB
— Harry Zahn (@Harry Zahn)1615832825.0
The MSM is a bunch of rumor mongers. Look how one lying anonymous source can shape a narrative by shouting into the… https://t.co/h8BHQSOG46
— Eddie Zipperer (@Eddie Zipperer)1615830583.0

Significantly, Democrats used the two false quotes attributed to Trump in their impeachment proceedings:

FLASHBACK: Democrats used the fake Washington Post “find the fraud” quote that was retracted today in the Trump imp… https://t.co/7TmVZe2vsT
— Daily Caller (@Daily Caller)1615837309.0

David Shafer, chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, called out the Post's "false reporting":

You may have missed this correction from The @WashingtonPost in which the paper retracted its false reporting that… https://t.co/HtXMlqV6C6
— David Shafer (@David Shafer)1615833549.0

Jimmy Carter blasts election integrity bills backed by Georgia Republicans



Former President Jimmy Carter is speaking out against efforts by Georgia Republicans to restrict absentee voting and introduce other election reforms in the wake of the controversial 2020 election.

On Monday, the Georgia Senate passed sweeping legislation ending no-excuse absentee voting and limiting weekend voting. The state legislature is also considering measures that would strengthen voter ID requirements for absentee voters, limit the number of available ballot drop boxes and require those drop boxes to be inside early voting locations, ban nonprofits from funding elections, and more.

Democrats are opposed to these policies, accusing Republicans of using false claims about election fraud as a pretext to pass laws that will make it harder for minorities and other disadvantaged classes of people to vote. Republicans counter that these laws would ensure safe, fair, and free elections and would restore confidence in the integrity of Georgia elections after former President Donald Trump and his legal team claimed there was a "national conspiracy" of voter fraud and the election in Georgia, which Joe Biden won, was illegitimate.

Carter, who was president from 1997 to 1981, expressed his disappointment in the Republican efforts in a statement released Tuesday.

"While states must safeguard the integrity of the election process to prevent fraud, this should not be at the expense of voters' access to the polls," Carter said.

"Now, as our state legislators seek to turn back the clock through legislation that will restrict access to voting for many Georgians, I am disheartened, saddened, and angry," he continued. "Many of the proposed changes are reactions to allegations of fraud for which no evidence was produced—allegations that were, in fact, refuted through various audits, recounts, and other measures. The proposed changes appear to be rooted in partisan interests, not in the interests of all Georgia voters."

He further criticized arguments from Republicans that "selectively referenced a report prepared by a 2005 commission that I co-chaired with former Secretary of State James Baker." The report examined mail-in voting practices and recommended that more studies be done before voting by mail was adopted universally, citing some concerns about bad practices.

"In the 16 years since the report's release, vote-by-mail practices have progressed significantly as new technologies have been developed," Carter said. "In light of these advances, I believe that voting by mail can be conducted in a manner that ensures election integrity. This is just one of several ways to expand access to the voting process for voters across the state, regardless of political affiliation.

"We must not promote confidence among one segment of the electorate by restricting the participation of others," he said in conclusion.

The Georgia bill passed Monday restricts absentee voting to senior citizens over age 65, those who have a physical disability, or those who are out of town on Election Day. The bill would also require absentee voters to present a driver's license or other form of valid ID to receive their ballot. If signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp (R), the law would effectively repeal a 2005 law supported by Republicans that permitted no-excuse absentee voting in Georgia.

About 5 million voters turned out in Georgia in the 2020 election, with approximately 1.3 million people voting remotely. President Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump by 12,000 votes. The state conducted two recounts and several audits confirming Biden's victory.

Republicans in other states are advancing similar legislation. In Iowa on Monday, Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed into law a measure backed by state Republicans that would shorten the early voting period from 29 to 20 days and close the polls one hour earlier on Election Day, from 9 p.m. to 8 p.m.

"It's our duty and responsibility to protect the integrity of every election," Reynolds said in a statement. "This legislation strengthens uniformity by providing Iowa's election officials with consistent parameters for Election Day, absentee voting, database maintenance, as well as other clear appeals process for local county auditors."